Member States

The General Assembly decided that the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction shall provide for the full and effective participation of all States Members of the United Nations and members of specialized agencies.

The Conference was convened at the highest possible level, including Heads of State of Governments and other representatives, and resulted in a concise, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented outcome document

Registration for Member States

Accreditation of official delegations of States was handled by the United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service via an online system “eAccreditation”. For accreditation to the Conference, official delegations were advised to go through their respective permanent/observer missions and offices in New York, who have already been registered with the eAccreditation system. Delegations were strongly advised to coordinate with their missions/offices in New York for timely submission of accreditation requests.

Accreditation requirementsConference badges and VIP passes were issued on the basis of the following mandatory accreditation requirements:

Submit an official communication, with official stamp and signed by the head of chancery or an authorizing official, to the Chief of Protocol, Mr. Peter Van Laere, United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service (Attn.: Wai Tak Chua), at Room S-0201 or by fax to +1 (212) 963-1921), providing an authorized list of the members of the delegation (with names, functional titles, affiliations and nationalities) who require a Conference badge.

A copy of the same should also be sent to the General Assembly Branch, Division of General Assembly and Economic and Social Council ECOSOC Affairs Division, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (Fax: +1 (212) 963-2155);

Register online via “eAccreditation” at http://eaccreditation.un.int. This website is now open through 5 March 2015 for online registration for members of delegations, including Heads of State or Government, Vice-Presidents, and Crown Princes/Princesses, Deputy Prime Ministers and cabinet ministers, as well as their spouses. In order for a Conference badge to be issued, the following procedure must be completed:

Step 1: Log on to the website http://eaccreditation.un.int with the user name and password (for registered users only), then select “Create new request for WCDDR”Step 2: Complete all mandatory fields [Please do not use acronyms and abbreviations.] Step 3: Upload a photograph of the participant. [This is strongly recommended and please note photo specifications below.] Step 4: Review all information carefully and submit

Passport-size colour photographs of all listed members of delegations, including cabinet ministers and their spouses, are required. All photographs must be recent and taken not more than six months prior to the Conference. Failure to submit photographs at the time of online registration will result in delegates having to line up to be photographed at the Registration Centre in Sendai. Delegations are reminded that photographs are not required for Heads of State or Government, Vice Presidents, Crown Princes/Princesses, or their spouses.

Permanent/observer missions are urged to advise and coordinate with their embassies and consulates general in Japan or in the region on the proper accreditation procedure in order to avoid dual accreditation and possible confusion.

Delegations are kindly reminded that the United Nations Protocol Accreditation Unit will not accredit representatives of non-governmental organizations and other major groups who do not form part of the official delegations of States, intergovernmental organizations, associate members of regional commissions, specialized agencies and related organizations.

Review of accreditation requestsUpon verification of the information on the lists of delegations, the Protocol and Liaison Service authorized badge applications submitted online. It is to be noted that no approval of a Conference badge was granted prior to receipt of the official lists of delegations or letters of credentials/nomination.

Pre-accreditation in New York (Now through 5 March 2015)Pre-accreditation in New York was accepted for processing at the Protocol and Liaison Service in New York. Permanent/observer missions and liaison offices were strongly advised to make use of the pre-accreditation option in New York for all delegates who participated in the Conference before the deadline of 5 March 2015, as this simplified the process and prevented delays and inconvenience for delegates in Sendai.

Starting 9 March 2015, all official communications, including lists of delegations and Conference-related materials, should be faxed to the United Nations Protocol Accreditation Unit at the Registration Centre in Sendai. The fax number was made available and posted on the Protocol website at www.un.int/protocol not later than 27 February 2015. Delegations could also obtain the fax number by contacting the Protocol and Liaison Service in New York (Tel: +1 (212) 963-7171).

On-site accreditation in Sendai (9 March 2015 through 18 March 2015)On-site accreditation of delegates of States, intergovernmental organizations and associate members of regional commissions, as well as specialized agencies and related organizations, were processed by the Protocol Accreditation Unit at the Reception Center (Sendai International Center Station, 2-1 Aobayama, Aoba-ku, Sendai City) starting 9 March 2015 through 18 March 2015. Non-accredited delegates seeking on-site accreditation were required to present proof of credential/letter of nomination, together with a passport or valid government-issued photo identification and to complete an on-site accreditation form.

AccessibilityRepresentatives attending the Conference with disabilities and requiring special requirements while attending sessions within the Sendai International Centre were kindly requested to inform the Conference secretariat, via wcdrr2015@un.org, by 13 February. Requests for special requirements including wheelchair access, guide dog access, documents in accessible format, sign language interpretation and real-time captioning were accommodated where possible.

Ministerial Roundtables

Ministerial roundtables provided an opportunity for interactive and focused discussions among ministers and selected high-level representatives from expert and major groups on key priorities and actions in support of the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction, as it related to each topic.

Each State could attend one ministerial roundtable. Each minister could be accompanied by one delegate. For the one ministerial roundtable they would attend, States were kindly requested to submit three choices, in order of preference, together with the name, title and email address of the attending minister and delegate, to the Secretariat (palm@un.org, with a copy to goldfinch@un.org) by 15 January 2015.

A list of participants for each roundtable were made available prior to the meeting.

High Level Multi-stakeholder Dialogues

Each High Level Multi-stakeholder Partnership Dialogue provided an opportunity for interactive discussions on key priorities, commitments and actions in support of the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction, as it related to each topic. The emphasis was on dialogue with partners in the room with some scene setting from key note speakers and panellists.

Representatives of States were invited to indicate to the Secretariat by e-mail (palm@un.org, with a copy to goldfinch@un.org) if they were represented in a partnership dialogue at the level of Head of State or Government or at the ministerial level.

Workspace

Access to the workspace is restricted to States. If you do not have access credentials, please contact the Secretariat (wcdrr2015@un.org).